Tigron
Tigron Enterprises were an Anti-Gravity racing team based in Russia, competing in the F9000 League. The team, along with Van-Über, were one of the only two new teams in Wipeout Fusion to make a return in Wipeout Pure. History The Russian industrial sector experienced a sharp downturn in the late 2140s. As a result, the Russian government was subsequently overthrown by a local criminal group, bringing the whole country to a social climate reminiscent of the former USSR era of the 20th century. Tigron Enterprises was a conglomerate formed by the same crime syndicate running the country at the time. After buying out the failing Qirex company in 2149, Tigron would enter the competition the following season using Qirex technologies, but also bringing their own craft design and aggressive tactics to the fore. Over the next twenty years, Tigron would make very few friends in the league. Their heavy craft lent themselves more strong-arm tactics at the expense of finesse and speed. More often than not, one or more of the other teams would lodge a complaint after an event. Not that it made any difference – maximum impact, maximum exposure, and results at any cost were the by-lines at every pre-race briefing. The criminal organization behind Tigron Enterprises involved themselves in every moneymaking opportunity that Anti-Gravity racing presented to them, from selling spare parts to restoration enthusiasts from the very plant which had once produced the legendary Qirex craft, to playing hardball behind the scenes with the league. One example was the alleged disappearance of over 2,000 people, from government officials to factory workers, to be employed by Tigron's AG racing project. At the time they acquired Qirex, Tigron uncovered documentation detailing a range of illegal activities by Overtel, which was controlling the F9000 Race Commission, from when the datacast company had ownership of Qirex. Tigron would thus use this incriminating information to blackmail Overtel with into allowing them to actively flaunt the rules. This was believed to have gone so far as to fix races in the later years. Ultimately, Tigron's involvement in the scandals would cause their downfall when the F9000 League was suspended in 2170. Many key members of the crime syndicate behind the scenes had been flushed out during the following investigations, leaving Tigron's properties abandoned. Not long after, the syndicate's regime was also deposed. Sometime during the FX300 League, the last remaining Tigron craft was re-commissioned by Qirex. It was used for training purposes to get some pilots accustomed to heavier craft. After it had served its purpose, Qirex director Feliks Levovich ordered its dismantling, wanting no remnants of Tigron to survive. Appearence, Evolution & Stats Although Tigron were one of the most ruthless teams in AG history, their craft was among the most popular ones in Wipeout Fusion. The craft has an impressive top speed, handling, and shielding, along with decent thrust and weapon power. Because of these stats, this craft requires pilots that are strong enough to control them and have an aggressive racing style, as seen in both their pilots. Returning in Wipeout Pure, the Tigron ship is somewhat similar to that of the basic F9000 model. Due to its stats (especially handling and thrust), it can be considered the "superior version" of Triakis, but that wouldn't be the case. While its speed may be able to match Triakis, the Tigron's shield is just slightly weaker. In addition, it handles slightly worse than Qirex or Assegai. Gallery Tigronfusion.gif|Tigron logo from Wipeout Fusion TIGRON800X600.JPG|Tigron wallpaper from Wipeout Fusion Tigronpure.png|Tigron logo from Wipeout Pure Trivia *The official logo shows the name with the Cyrillic letter "Я". This would mean the pronunciation of the team's name is "Tigjaon"; probably this is just faux-Cyrillic, though. Also, there is a "stressing accent" over the letter "O". * The official Wipeout Fusion website lists Tigron's country of origin as being the USSR (also known as the Soviet Union), even though said country had ceased to exist since 1991. This suggests that the crime syndicate had re-declared the USSR when they came into power in Russia. *Qirex would later be reformed after the purchase of the former Tigron factory by Russian businessman Feliks Levovich. The new Qirex team may have similar strength characteristics as the former team, but their attitude is less financially focused, and they still maintain their famed rivalry with Auricom. *In Wipeout HD, a Tigron billboard can be seen in Metropia, right after the Gemini's Pin. **It's possible that Tigron was intended to make into Wipeout HD, however time constraints removed the team from the game. Nevertheless, the billboards remain in their original positions. The same case also applies to Van-Über. ' Category:Teams